After I posted the ink drawing that I’m working on yesterday, I started thinking about how obsessive detailing isn’t really a new thing for me. When I look back at old drawings, art projects and textile designs, a pattern emerges. Literally! My work has been filled with tiny, intricate patterns for years now.
The photo above is a piece of smocking* I did for an assignment in fashion school. Probably more than almost any other project, even more than designing and sewing my own clothing collection, I loved the couple hours I spent smocking this simple piece of muslin. I loved the quiet, repetitive nature of the work and I loved the beautiful honeycomb texture of the finished piece.
Even my vacation photos end up revealing my preoccupation with patterns, patterns everywhere. While my husband takes gorgeous, expansive photos of breathtaking landscapes, my camera is always filled with pictures like these:
From a 2006 day trip to Moss Beach in the SF Bay area to visit the tide pools.
Another view into the tide pools. Oh, California! I miss living in the Golden State.
I can’t help myself. It’s an obsession, as you can probably tell from my work!
*For directions on smocking, check out chapter 7 of the wonderful book, The Art of Manipulating Fabric by Colette Wolff.
I create burned wood engravings that combine my love of the textures and patterns found in nature with a deep interest in the unconscious world of dreams, symbols and mythic folklore. 